Sims and De Phillippi score M8’s first win
IMSA SPORTSCAR VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY (USA), AUGUST 19 ROUND 10/12
The second Gt-only race of the IMSA season, at the scenic Virginia International Raceway, provided another thrilling contest as Alexander Sims and Connor De Phillippi combined to score a well-earned first victory for the 2018 BMW M8 GTE.
Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen ultimately came up just short of a third successive victory at the undulating 3.27-mile road course, but the Corvette pair’s sixth successive podium finish was enough to move them into the points lead with just two races remaining.
There were three distinct phases of the race, each with a different manufacturer holding the upper hand. Chip Ganassi’s Ford GTS were the first to shine. After securing pole with an opportunistic late effort in wet-but-drying conditions, Richard Westbrook controlled the early stages but was unable to shake a hotly pursuing pack that consisted of Bobby Rahal’s BMW Team RLL M8s, plus Garcia, Patrick Pilet’s Porsche 911 RSR and the second Ford of Joey Hand.
Only the Corvette of Tommy Milner and Earl Bamber’s 911 were missing from the battle after tangling on the opening lap. Milner continued with a hobbled car, while Bamber served a drive-through penalty after being adjudged to be at fault.
The top six ran virtually in a train until Westbrook drove behind the wall with a drive-line problem after 29 laps. The remaining contenders all took on service shortly thereafter. Pilet was the last to stop, allowing Nick Tandy to vault from fifth to first ahead of Jesse Krohn, who had taken over from John Edwards in the #24 BMW. Dirk Muller resumed in third after relieving Hand in the sole remaining Ford, albeit suddenly six seconds in arrears.
Tandy maintained his new-found advantage for the next seven laps, only to suffer a sudden engine failure that triggered the race’s only full-course caution.
Krohn’s BMW was the only GTLM car to eschew a pitstop under caution. The Finn duly took over the lead and remained in front until triggering the final stops with 55 minutes remaining. Everyone else followed suit within the next two laps, aside from team-mate Sims, who continued to set the pace. Magnussen emerged from the stops in second, chased by Muller, the Porsche of Laurens Vanthoor and a charging Krohn, who quickly progressed from fifth to third.
All alone out front, Sims kept the hammer down. His advantage increased incrementally over the next 10 laps, but it then ballooned by an additional seven seconds over the next four laps as Magnussen worked his way through a pack of GTD cars. That proved to be crucial, and Sims led by almost a minute before heading to the pits. He resumed with a comfortable margin of more than nine seconds. Sims then managed his pace to perfection before taking the flag just over a second clear of Magnussen, who was being monstered by Krohn in the closing stages.
The battle for GTD honours was perhaps even more intense as Austrian Dominik Baumann (GT Racing Lexus RC F GT3) had a six-second margin over Katherine Legge (Acura) dwindle to nothing with four laps remaining. Luckily for him, Patrick Long (Porsche) also was closing fast in third.
The final lap was a nailbiter as Legge’s attempt to wrest the lead was barely rebuffed, whereupon Long took advantage by robbing the Acura of second just two corners from the finish. A relieved
Baumann held on for his second win of the year alongside Canadian Kyle Marcelli.